Watching
by dellykins
Summary: Arcee keeps getting presents, and is less than thrilled about it. tf rare pairing prompt:Soundwave/Arcee: I've been watching you.
1. Watching

**Title:** Watching  
><strong>Verse: <strong>TF:Prime  
><strong>Series:<strong> None  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Minor Violence. Stalking.  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Soundwave/Arcee  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Arcee keeps getting presents, and is less than thrilled about it.  
><strong>Note:<strong> **tf_rare_pairing **prompt:Soundwave/Arcee: I've been watching you. I don't own transformers, obviously. No money for me. T_T And lastly...thanks for themadterran for playing my beta.

* * *

><p>Miko thought it would be hilarious to create a Facebook for Arcee's holoform-Sadie as Arcee affectionately called her. Arcee was not sure why the human girl thought it was such a grand idea, but she went with it. Sometimes, it was just easier to just go with it and let her have her way. Still, she never she checked it. And Sadie certainly hadn't been friended, liked or ever had a wall post of a lolcat.<p>

At least, Arcee did not think so...

"Someone is posting the oddest things on your profile. Probably just a creeper, I guess." Miko said, pushing the open laptop at Arcee.

"What?" Arcee asked only half listening.

"This." Miko said in exasperation. She rolled her eyes and clicked on the YouTube video posted on the profile in question. "Every Breath You Take" blared out of the laptops speakers.

"...is CREEPY."

"Hey, the eighties," Bulkhead put in, hovering over Miko's shoulder. "Classic."

Arcee blinked, her optics flickering. "Scrap."

"Exactly." Miko agreed. "Super creepy."

Arcee shrugged, "It's probably just a troll."

"Probably a spambot," Rafe offered from across the room as he pushed up his glasses and looked up at both of them.

"Oooo, 'White Wedding,'" Miko laughed, already distracted, following the YouTube recommendation. She jumped on Bulkhead's shoulder, lip syncing to the lyrics.

Arcee, still couldn't help the unsettled feeling her her spark chamber.

OoOoOoOoOo

She found the first package when she took Jack home. It was propped up on the table in the garage with her name scrawled across it in Cybertronian characters. It must have been a trap, she suspected, but her scan revealed inside there was only a storage cube for holographic recordings.

As soon as she was back to base, she handed the cube to Optimus. Carefully, they watched the cube activate. The scene played out. She remembered it, but not from this angle. She was fighting back to back with Tailgate. It was old footage, when they had first got together. Her spark clenched.

Prime looked as grim as she felt, "Be careful, Arcee, this is-"

She ducked her head, "I know. It is a dangerous situation. I-I'm not going to let whoever it is dictate my life."

"Arcee."

"Sir."

"This is a grave situation." He looked down at the cube in his hand and looked horrified. "More so because we do not know their motives."

"Right," She looked at the Autobot symbol on the floor. "I'll try to be careful with this."

OoOoOoOoOo

Spy-in-the-Sky64: Watching you, fireboltgrlll.  
>azura_diamonds: Wow! That's creepy Spy.<br>fireboltgrlll: IKR.  
>thebeesknees: Creepy doesn't even cover it.<br>Spy-in-the-Sky64: Assessment: incorrect. Gifts: will continue.  
>azura_diamonds: ...that is harassment.<br>fireboltgrlll: Grrrrrrrrrrr...seriously.  
>azura_diamonds: You should contact the police. Srysly.<br>fireboltgrlll: Grrrrrrrrrrr. I wish.  
>Spy-in-the-Sky64" LMAO. azura_diamonds: inferior. Police: inadvisable. Spy-in-the-Sky64: superior. Lol.<br>azura_diamonds: wtf. What does that even mean?  
>fireboltgrlll: Just..let it go.<br>thebeesknees: What a creeper. Who are you anyway?  
>Spy-in-the-Sky64: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.<br>thebeesknees: -_- I don't see the humor in that.  
>fireboltgrll: :O :O :O<br>fireboltgrlll: Creeper.  
>Spy-in-the-Sky64: ILu2<br>fireboltgrlll: IHU  
>msg thebeesknees: I am...  
>*fireboltgrlll* I know. T_T It's probably a Con.<br>/msg thebeesknees Thanks for that. I just want it to stop.

OoOoOoOoOo

She opened the package, and pulled out the cube. She shivered, pausing before she played it. Her and Bee sneaking through dark hallways. It was security footage from _Nemesis._She couldn't help but shiver and wonder what happened to the intruder alarms that day.

Also, when had her chassis gotten so big?

OoOoOoOoOo

Arcee was still grumbling about it as she took Jack to school the next morning. She didn't mention it to Jack, not wanting him to worry. She figured she was worrying enough for both of them. With her luck it was Arachnid. Stupid bot liked to mess with her processor.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked as they parked.

"No...nothing at all. Better hurry up, you are going to be late."

"Scrap, you are right." Jack said bolting off toward the school.

::Scrap, Bee. Do you really think it is a con in chat last night?::

Bee replied in a long string of Cybertronian beeps and trills, it filled her possessor. He sent her the glyph for assent and care. Even their time off in World of Warcraft wasn't safe.

::Yeah, yeah, I will be careful. You too.::

OoOoOoOoOo

Arcee sighed, Jack was safe at school, and June had the day off. She made her way back to the Darby house, glum about it all. She called June before she arrived, and was relieved the woman was waiting for her.

"Is Jack okay?"

"Jack? Yeah he's fine. I...ah...need some advice. I have a problem."

June blinked up at her, wondering if this still had to do with Jack. "Such as?"

"I have a stalker. He...she...whatever keeps leaving things for me here. Don't tell Jack, he'd-you know how he is." Arcee scrunched up her face, looking worried.

"Oh, honey, you need to stop it know. I've had one before. The longer you allow it to carry one the worse it will be." She patted Arcee's big hand with her own diminutive one.

"You..."

"Before Jack was born." June shrugged, "I didn't always have the best of luck with relationships, or...attract the best sort of guys. It wasn't pretty."

"How did you stop it."

June shrugged, "There are a lot of holes in the desert, and Poppy likes guns."

"June!"

"I'm just kidding. I ended up getting a restraining order."

OoOoOoOoOo

June frowned as she walked into the house and eyed the gnomes. She knew her front yard, and her front yard did not have one garden gnome, much less two. She had learned a few things in the last few months, namely you simply cannot trust the appearance of things. Especially, seemingly inanimate objects. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, but neither garden gnome made any lunge at her. They say still, just like a garden gnome should. Still her suspicion was raised. She went inside, looking for Jack.

"Sweetie?"

"What, mom?" Jack asked, looking up from his homework.

"Mmm...you didn't buy anything for the yard...did you?"

"Whaaat?" he looked up at her, his brows a raising. "Yeah, no, mom."

June nodded, the frown on her face deepening. "Ah, I see."

"Something wrong?"

"Maybe." June said, making her way back to the garage quietly. That was when she heard the giggling.

She frowned, and watched the two little bots, one red and one blue-just like the gnomes outside. Her eyes narrowed and she watched as they hopped onto the table and left what looked like a letter and a little cube-like device. Her frown deepened when she saw the Decepticon symbols the little mechs were sporting. She quietly hit the button to close the garage door and cursed silently when they slipped out under the door. She slipped back out the house, peaking outside the front, she spotted them-transforming into those stupid gnomes. She watched them for a moment, indecisive before finally slipping back into the house and grabbing her cellphone.

"Oh, hello, Arcee," How to phrase this, June wondered.

There was a long pause, "Is something wrong?"

"We have some-visitors. Do you think you could head over here to the house?"

"I will be right there."

OoOoOoOoOo

Arcee raced over to the house, fuming. From June's description she at least knew what she was dealing with. A little red mech and an equally small blue mech,could only be Rumble and Frenzy. She barreled up the driveway, grabbing the blue gnome before it could even transform. Frenzy twisted and turned in her servos, but she grabbed him by the armor at the back of his neck. "Little twerp." She watched the red one scuttle away, turning into a little spy drone as it ran.

"Tell Soundwave I have something of his." she yelled after him, before narrowing her eyes at frenzy. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

The little mech whined. "I ain't tellin'you nothin'."

"We will see."

Arcee raised her wrist comm to her vocalizer, ::Ratchet, I need a ground bridge::

OoOoOoOoOo

"Talk, you little pipsqueak." Arcee ground out, glaring at the little mech sitting on the medical birth. She was somewhat surprised Ratchet had energy cuffs that small.

"I ain't-"

"You keep saying that." Arcee bit out. "But if you don't, we've got some scraplets on ice. Don't think I won't throw you to them."

"She would too." Ratchet added helpfully.

The little bots eyes widened in alarm. "Scraplets...you're autobots... you wouldn't..."

"Try me."

The little mech looked between them, optics widening. Scraplets? Time to squeal with a little dignity.

"I was just doing what Boss told me to. He said leave the cubes, we left the cubes. I don't know why. I don't care why. I ain't built to ask Soundwave questions.

"I get reformatted if I ask Soundwave too many questions." Panic settled in when he realized how much he'd already said.

He was now screwed either way. "Do I get to surrender now?"

"No, you get to contact your "Boss".

Ratchet made a coughing noise with his vocalizer, "We should tell, Optimus."

Arcee glared, "Contact him and tell him to meet me at these coordinates." She pinged them to him.

"I'm not..."

Arcee glared, grabbing the little mech by the scruff of his mech she strode across the base. "Funny thing about scraplets, they don't eat wood." she said, striding until she stopped in front of a large shipping crate. "I'm sure they are hungry."

Frenzy whimpered with every thump coming from the box.

"Fine." He squealed, opening his own Comm line he contacted Soundwave, sending him the coordinates. "Happy now?"

"Yes," Arcee glared at the little bot, still holding him like a dead mouse she was about to put in the trash.

Suddenly, the top popped off the box. "Surprise!" Miko yelled, laughing.

Frenzy let out a high-pitched scream before slumping into a kernel panic and reboot. Arcee looked at him intently, considering if she should just snap his head from his neck.

Somehow, she knew Optimus would not approve of murdering a prisoner.

OoOoOoOoOo

He watched Soundwave shift nervously. He had never seen the spy convey much of any emotion, but clearly he was nervous. Soundwave paced the deserted strip of highway. Fretting. It was amusing.

A groundbridge opened up and Arcee stormed out, "What do you want?"

Arcee glared, "Well?"

A less-than "3" flashed across his faceplate. Soundwave seemed to be standing taller than he usually did when among his fellow Decepticons.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Arcee said, backing away, running back into the still open groundbridge. It snapped shut as Soundwave stood by, frozen by inaction. He slumped, his face screen white from static.

Starscream watched gleefully, peering over the rocks, laughing inside, and rubbing his hands together. This was too precious. Leaping in the air, Starscream transformed in the showiest manner possible. He banked to avoid a startled shot by Soundwave before jumping to high mach speed.

There would be time enough to deliver the final blow.


	2. A Matter of Miscommunication

**Title:** A Matter of Miscommunication  
><strong>Verse: <strong>TF:Prime  
><strong>Series:<strong> None  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T for sheer stalkery creepiness.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong>  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Raf**, **BumbleBee, Soundwave/Arcee  
><strong>Summary:<strong>  
><strong>Note:<strong>tf_prime prompt: Bumblebee and Soundwave have communication issues during a face off. A sequel to Watching.

* * *

><p>Arcee had been acting strange for weeks. Twitchy, and paranoid. It was emphatic enough that even Raf noticed her change in attitude. It was worse than the weeks after he last confrontation with Airachnid.<p>

He watched her weeks ago as she handed a cube off to Optimus and caught bits of the conversation, for all that he pretended other-wise.

"I received another one." She had said, her vocals strained.

Optimus had taken it from her with a strained look on his face. It was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. It worried the young man.

Raf had been lurking in the IRC chat when "spy-in-the-sky" had popped in. Arcee was obviously bothered by him/her/it...who or what ever it was. Bumblebee was upset that Arcee was upset, and Raf himself was not too happy himself. Not being happy about the situation he did a little digging. More than a little digging and trace the troll. The IP was familiar. He had encountered it before. He was shocked to realize that it was the same IP he had caught Soundwave using before.

OoOoOoOo

Raf frowned at Bee, "So...Arcee is being stalked by Soundwave? That's kind of..."

Bee beeped furiously. Waving his his hands frantically.  
>"What? That's creepy. Why would he leave her pictures of herself?"<br>Bee beeped and whirled, a long string of trilling noises, then sighed dramatically.

"He likes her. What? What do you mean he likes her?" He rubbed his ears.

Bee beeped emphatically.

"Bee...I'm twelve. I really didn't need to hear that."

Bee made a mournful sound.

"Yeah...I'm sorry you told me, too."

OoOoOoOo

Knock Out's eyes narrowed as he walked beside Breakdown. Soundwave passed them in the corridor. The spy had been acting decidedly odd lately. Odder.

Knock Out frowned, turning to his companion. "He has been acting very odd lately. It makes me wonder." His lips curled into a smirk.

"How can you even tell?" Breakdown rumbled.

OoOoOoOo

Bee was a scout for a good reason, he had always been good at finding people be they humans or bots for that matter.

He glared at the spy, guns raised and beeped angrily. Beeped,and beeped and then beeped some more.

Soundwave stared. Held his own gun at the spy and canted his head to the side.

Bee beeped, if anything more angrily.

"Bee..." Raf said from behind a boulder. "Language. I don't think he understood a word of that."

Bee beeped an angrily, his optics darkening.

"Doubt that is a good idea either Bee."

The spy stared at the both. Clearly the Autobot and it's squishy were not right in the processor. A question-mark flicked across his visor for a moment.

Bee beeped and pointed.

"Yeah, I know, Bee, but maybe we should just let Arcee take care of this. He can't understand a word your saying, and I know I can't understand a word he is. I also...don't want to be shot."

Bee whirled, backed away, his gun still trained on the spy. He grabbed Raf and ran.

Soundwave buzzed angrily. It was a strained and static filled noise. He shot at the scout,who ducked, and dodged all the while holding Raf close to his chest.

Bee chirped and whirled in an angry and distressed tone as the hid behind a still bigger boulder. Laser fire pinged and sizzled against the stone. It hit the sides, barely missing the scout more times than Raf could count.

"Bee! We need to get out of here!"

Bee's face fell and he chirred.

"Yes, I know." Raf sighed bringing his wrist comm up to his mouth. "Ratchet, we need a ground-bridge to these coordinates."

Moments later the portal flared to life. Bee and Raf took off running towards it as Arcee came out running to provide them cover fire. She froze, and stared at Soundwave, who stared right back at her. "You've got to be kidding me. Scrap, bee!" she yelled.

Soundwave! He was everywhere. Arcee glared at him, and finally turned running back into the ground-bridge.


	3. A Swift Divulgence

**Title: **A Swift Divulgence  
><strong>Verse: <strong>TF:Prime  
><strong>Series:<strong> None  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T for sheer stalkery creepiness.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Stalking.  
><strong>Pairings: <strong>Soundwave/Arcee, Ensemble  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Arcee has a bit of an issue, namely Soundwave.  
><strong>Note:<strong>A sequel to Watching and A Matter of Miscommunication.

* * *

><p>"What?" Jack asked, thinking he had heard Raf wrong.<p>

Raf sighed, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. "I said Soundwave has a crush on Arcee, and has been leaving her gifts at your house."

"A crush?" He asked again, thinking-no Hoping-he had heard wrong.

"Yeah, like you have on Sierra, only creepier." Miko piped up, looking up from the game she had been playing on her phone. She nearly bounced. "He was the stalker she had on-line, right?"

"Exactly." Raf added helpfully, his attention going back to his laptop.

"Stalker?" Jack nearly shouted. "Wait how-you mean-"

"Pretty much." Raf said, not looking up. "Already heard waaaaay too much about that. Thanks, Bee." The bot in question let out a little trill, throwing his hands up.

"You mean-" Jack stood there blinking. "They-"

Miko bit out a laugh. "Don't blow a circuit, Jack."

Jack shook his head, not sure if he should be horrified at what they were suggesting, disgusted that they were suggesting it, or just plain mad because they were keeping secrets. "I'm not blowing a circuit. I just don't like secrets. Someone should have told me." He ground out.

Jack frowned and wondered if that was why that pesky little bot was now at the base. "So...it was just on-line?" That wasn't so bad he guessed.

"No, not at all. Bee said Soundwave left presents in the garage. Er...your garage." Raf said not looking up as he typed away on his laptop.

"What?" Jack yelled.  
>Miko snickered, "I think this is exactly why no one told you."<p>

OoOoOoOoOo

Knock Out watched Soundwave. There was definitely something up with the telepath, but the red medic could not quite put his digit on what it was. He was certainly acting dodgier than normal, but that wasn't saying much. Dodgy was the very description of most Cons. "Very interesting."

Breakdown rolled his optics. "If you say so."

Knock Out cracked a smile. "Well, I do. there is obviously something going on. Perhaps Megatron should know."

"What makes you think he doesn't already." Breakdown said giving the red bot a sideways glance.

"Just a hunch. Question is...who is it?" Knock Out tapped a digit on his cheek.

"Who is what?" Breakdown said, clearly confused.

"Who is he obsessing over." Knock Out said, rolling his own optics.

"What?" Breakdown snorted, "Are you kidding me? He doesn't even have feelings? Does he?"

Knock Out patted Breakdown's shoulder. "Pretty sure he does." he smirked.

Breakdown's brow-plates rose. "Ah-right, I don't even want to know."

Knock Out's smirk grew. He wondered what Starscream would give for this information. The seeker never failed to amuse him.

OoOoOoOoOo

Jack huffed stomping across the Autobot base's main-room, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his mother, then at Arcee and back. "You knew about this." He accused his mother.

"Knew about what, sweetie?" June asked, the picture of innocence.

"That-" he pointed at Arcee. "Soundwave, the garage. THE GARAGE."

"Jack, you are not making any sense."

Arcee palmed her face, the picture of exasperation. "That is exactly why I didn't tell you."

"She has a point." June said. "It isn't something you would understand."

"And you would?" Jack yelled.

"You would be surprised." June said, in a dead-panned tone.

Jack huffed, throwing his hands in the air, and stomped away.

Arcee's optics widened and she watched as her partner stomped away. Her shoulder's slumped. "Well that went really well."

Ratchet snorted from the corner, "You expected it to go any better than that?"

Arcee glared. "I hoped it wouldn't go at all. Thanks a lot, Raf."

Raf glanced up from his laptop for a moment, and watched Arcee. "You shouldn't keep secrets. Not from Jack. you know how he is. Ratchet is right." He shrugged went went back to doing whatever it was he was normally doing.

Ratchet merely rolled his eyes, his attention returning to the monitor before him.

OoOoOoOoOo

The red Astin Martin rolled across the payment, finally stopping beside the jet. Both looked out of place on the otherwise deserted air strip.

::What are you doing here?:: Starscream's voice squealed across the comm link.

::I thought you would be pleased to see me.:: Knock Out purred.

::Megatron-::

::Still has no idea where you are.::

The silence was telling.

Knock Out chuckled across the comm. ::You have missed a lot.::

::Oh, I'm sure.:: Starscream sighed.

::No, really. Soundwave-::

::Has his optics on an Autobot.:: Starscream would have smirked if he could have in alt-form.

::Interesting. I had not realized it had gone so far.:: Knock Out said thoughtfully.

::The femme. Arcee.:: Starscream added drily.

::Ah. no accounting for taste, I suppose.::

::None at all.:: Starscream agreed.

::We could take him down with this.::

::Perhaps.:: Starscream replied in kind, rolling it across his processor. ::Perhaps.::

OoOoOoOoOo

Frenzy sighed, pacing across the room. It was dragging boring being stuck in the room. His comma were disabled, he couldn't call to his twin if he wanted to, but at this point he really didn't want to.

"Boss is gonna kill me if he catches me." he muttered, x-venting heavily, his small body heating up with too much stress.

He startled when the door slid open and Arcee slipped inside, a cube in her hand. He took it from her servos, eagerly. Warning signs had been popping onto his HUD for hours.

He watched the Femme. He could almost see what his Boss was so obsessed about. "You should be careful." He spat out the words barely registering in his processor before they were out. "He will do anything..."

Arcee shivered, "Right, squirt, I'm sure he will."

Frenzy vented again, he felt sorry for her, she really did not understand yet, and he prayed to Primus she wouldn't. He doubted she understood what his boss was capable of in any sense of the term.

OoOoOoOoOo

"I can't believe you didn't tell me." Jack said, pain leaking into his tone. "I thought you trusted me. I thought I was your partner. Partners don't keep secrets like that Arcee."

Arcee winced inside, and stopped in the deserted stretch of road. "Jackson."

"Don't Jackson me."

"I-honestly I was scared. I am still scared."

"You told my mother."

"She understands. She has had a similar experience."

"Wait...what?" Jack winced. "Really?"

"Yes, really, Jack."

"I'm sorry."

Arcee vented loudly, and wished she could just hug him."So am I."

"I'm just worried about you."

"I'm worried about me too."

OoOoOoOoOo

Megatron stood in the control room. Scowling. Knock Out watched him, trying to gauge his mood. sometimes it did not pay to approach his erstwhile leader. Not if he was in the wrong mood. He was more prone to tear a bot apart then to listen to them.

"Lord Megatron. I think there is something you should know."

"I am listening."

Knock Out x-vented and began.

OoOoOoOoOo

Arcee frowned, as she watched Jack walk into the house. Something was not right. She was exhausted, emotionally and mentally, but still scanned the area more than half afraid that Rumble, or one of Soundness's other minions were still lurking. She fretted about it, and worried about Jack and June's safety far more than her own. All she wanted to do was roll into the garage and slip into recharge, but something in the air left her feeling uneasy. She paused, visually scanning the area again. She wondered if she was not just glitching.

There was a static crackle in the air. Her optics widened as she felt an electrical burst. Soundwave dropped his cloaking field and stepped out of the shadows. Arcee leveled her plasma gun at the mech and slowly backed away.

"Stay away from me." she cringed, backing up a step.

"Wise advice for now." Megatron rumbled, as he stepped out of a ground bridge. He glanced at the femme for a fraction of a moment, before writing her off as inconsequential. The ground-bridge's portal closed with an audible snap leaving them all bathed in darkness.

Arcee bit back a scream, both arm blasters leveled at the Decepticons. _SlagitslagslagI'Msoslagged. _She screamed inside, backing up and away from the Cons. She wondered for a moment if she should call for help, but she froze, and finally fully understood the human saying of 'froze like a deer in head-lights.'

Megatron's attention turned back to her for a moment, and he laughed; a loud rumble of noise that she did not understand at first.

She took another step back, terror creeping along her processor.

"You reek of fear, little one." Megatron smirked, his optics glowing brightly in the dark night before they moved back to his spy-master. He was more amused than anything about this. Soundwave had never been one to take advantage of a femme's attention. Not in their gladiatorial days, and not any time since to Megatron's knowledge.

"But now is not the time." He rumbled, leveling Soundwave a look. "Come."He barked at Soundwave, even as he was leaping into the air and transforming. The aircraft shot into the sky.

Arcee trembled, hugging herself. Her knees gave out and she sank to the street. Her spark felt as if it was going to pulse out of her chest. She sat there for what seemed like an eternity tracking the aircraft until they were well out of her sensor range.

The lights to the Darby's house flicked back on, and June and Jack came out through the garage.

"Arcee?" Jack called, finally spotting her crouched in the street. "Are you okay?" He walked up to her, and placed a small hand on her warm plating."Arcee?"

She tried to talk, but nothing but static came out for a moment. Finally she managed to find her voice, "Yes, Jack-I-I'm fine."

June watched them both with a worried gaze, after a moment her own eyes went to the sky.

Arcee's own gaze never wavered. At least, it was over... Well, as much as Cybertronian problems ever could be.

OoOoOoOoOo

Megatron looked out the window of the control room, the terran landscape stretching as far as he could see. The horizon soft in the night-time-hour obscuring the gentle curvature of the earth. He clasped his hands behind his back, silent for a moment.

Soundwave stood behind him, clearly uneasy.

"Now is not the time." Megatron said, still looking at the night-scape. "But when we win this war-and we will-my most loyal will be rewarded as such."


End file.
